"Hiruzen… Lady Mito… calling us over this late at night—did something happen?"
Shimura Danzo walked beside Sarutobi Hiruzen, muttering under his breath. He glanced up at the moon hanging high in the sky—bright just moments ago, now swallowed by dark clouds.
A moonless, windless night.
Perfect for killing and arson.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, Danzo felt a chill crawl up his spine. Worse still, the looks the Senju clan members gave him as they passed made his skin crawl.
Danzo's emotions were tangled and uneasy.
By contrast, Hiruzen appeared calm and composed.
"If it's fortune, it can't be a disaster. If it's a disaster, there's no avoiding it."
Hiruzen spoke lightly.
Man was the fish on the chopping block; fate held the knife. They were already at this point—what else could be done?
At worst, it was death.
He, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was not afraid of dying. His only regret was failing to fulfill his teacher's final wish.
Hiruzen unconsciously quickened his pace.
Danzo, startled, hurried to follow.
Inside the Room
Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Uchiha Kagami, and Akimichi Torifu had arrived earlier and were already inside Uzumaki Mito's room.
Standing at the doorway, Hiruzen immediately noticed two Senju jōnin stationed beside Mito.
Senju Mokuka.
Senju Mokuharu.
Old acquaintances—elite jōnin of the Senju clan.
Inside the room, two neat rows of Senju ninja stood at attention, like a full courtroom awaiting judgment.
The scale of it all made Hiruzen and Danzo's hearts pound.
If this went badly…
The trees in the Senju compound were going to grow a lot more lush.
Seeing Hiruzen and Danzo finally arrive, Koharu and Homura forced bitter smiles. There was even a trace of relief in their eyes.
Standing here earlier, surrounded by Senju ninja, had been pure torment.
Uzumaki Mito sat at the head of the room in silence.
Her expression never changed.
Aside from briefly examining Uchiha Kagami when he arrived, she hadn't spared any of them another glance—simply sitting there, slowly sipping tea.
Koharu and Homura knew their own standing all too well.
They were like rootless duckweed.
Easy to grasp. Easy to crush.
Their clans carried no real weight. Among Konoha's great bloodline and secret-technique clans, they were practically invisible.
If they died, they died.
In a village as large as Konoha, who would dare say a word?
Torifu and Kagami, however, were different.
One was the son of the Akimichi clan head—part of the future Ino–Shika–Chō trio.
The other was Uchiha Kagami, a prodigy of the Uchiha clan.
More than that, Kagami's apprenticeship under Senju Tobirama carried immense political significance—it symbolized balance between the Hokage and the Uchiha.
No matter how things went, these two were not in mortal danger.
Earlier, the Senju ninja's gazes had never left them.
Under the dual pressure of fear and the specter of death, Koharu and Homura felt certain those eyes were fixed on them—because they were the easiest targets.
And Mito's silence made it clear.
She was waiting.
Waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Hokage was personally chosen by Senju Tobirama.
Danzo, like them, was just an extra.
Hiruzen and Danzo stood at the doorway, unmoving. The unusual scene snapped something in their minds, a buzzing ringing in their ears.
Mito set down her teacup and looked toward them.
"Since you're here," she said calmly,
"Come in."
Such simple words—
Yet they made Danzo's scalp go numb. His feet felt rooted to the floor. He turned to look at Hiruzen, silently asking what to do.
After a brief daze, Hiruzen came back to himself.
He took a deep breath, straightened his expression, and stepped forward calmly into the room.
Danzo hurried after him.
The moment they entered, the Senju ninja by the door shut it.
Bang.
The sound echoed loudly.
Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu, Homura, Torifu, and Kagami all flinched at once.
Terrifying.
Inside the room, all five of them instinctively looked at Hiruzen.
The meaning was obvious.
You're the future Third Hokage.
If you don't speak now, who will?
Feeling their gazes, Hiruzen swallowed and forced himself forward.
"Lady Mito," he asked carefully, "calling us here so late—has something happened in Konoha?"
Mito looked at him.
Their eyes met for several seconds.
Hiruzen's heartbeat sped up.
"I believe I told you all before," she said coldly.
"Tobirama's death was not to be spoken of."
"Not by anyone."
"And yet—this very afternoon—the entire village knew about it."
Bang!
Mito slammed the table.
Her voice was full and powerful, her anger unmistakable.
Hiruzen and the others paled instantly.
The six of them exchanged glances, completely bewildered.
That afternoon, they had all stayed in the rooms the Senju had prepared—either resting or receiving treatment from Senju medical-nin.
They hadn't seen anyone else.
"I want an explanation."
Mito's eyes gleamed dangerously as her gaze swept across them one by one.
Her chakra surged violently.
The Nine-Tails' chakra leaked out—chaotic, malevolent pressure crashing down on everyone present.
We're dead.
We're dead.
We're dead.
Koharu, Homura, and Danzo screamed inwardly.
"I swear to the heavens," Koharu blurted out, barely holding herself together. "I stayed in my room the entire day! I didn't go anywhere—only the Senju medical-nin came to see me!"
"If I leaked news of Lord Tobirama's death—may I die a horrible death!"
"I swear on my clan! If I lied, may my entire family be wiped out!"
"Every last one of them!"
She was the only woman present—and the first to break.
Under Mito's overwhelming pressure, she collapsed almost instantly, blurting out frantic vows.
"I swear too!"
"I swear as well!"
"Me too—!"
Panic spread like wildfire.
The remaining five turned into echoing parrots, desperately trying to prove their innocence.
"Hmph," Mito snorted.
"You think oaths are enough?"
"What I want—
is an explanation."
If these brats didn't produce something useful, she had no qualms about resorting to special measures.
After all—
Konoha's ANBU were quite skilled at extracting information directly from people's minds.
Just as they were on the verge of swearing themselves into oblivion—
The door opened.
Senju Taomu entered briskly and spoke the moment he stepped inside.
"Lady Mito, the source has been identified."
"All of it originated from Uchiha-owned shops."
The words fell like a thunderclap.
Hiruzen.
Danzo.
Koharu.
Homura.
Torifu.
All of them turned in unison—
To look at Uchiha Kagami.
Kagami stood there, utterly stunned.
"…Me?"
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